Australian Games Awards: Play of the Year Nominees

ESports have opened up a whole new wave of entertainment in recent years. Watching our favourite players and teams compete against each other for glory has never been more exciting. These games are often unpredictable and leave the audience of the edge of their seats. When these teams are neck and neck they need to bring out the big guns to bring home the win, which makes for some epic plays. From insane clutches to hilarious player antics, there are those few plays that stick in our mind as truly memorable. The following have been nominated for the Australian Games Awards by you for Play of the Year.

Acez’s 1v4 Ace

Acez is a member of Fnatic’s Rainbow Six Siege team, who this year competed in the Rainbow Six Paris Major. The following play is from the Group Stages where they came up against Ninjas in Pyjamas. On round 4 of the first map on Clubhouse, Acez Aced the entire enemy team and managed to do it in a 1v4 clutch situation to win the round.

CJCJ RLCS walkout

The next nomination is not necessarily a play but it is just as memorable. Earlier this year at the Rocket League World Championships, CJCJ from Tainted Minds just couldn’t simply walk out onto the stage with his team mates. Because why would you walk when you can drive a mini car. Much to the amusement of the crowd and very appropriate for Rocket League.

Dexter Ninja Defuse

This next clip demonstrates exactly it’s not over until it’s over. While up against Avant Gaming in the ESL AU & NZ Championships, Dexter from Grayhound Gaming got a sneaky Ninja Defuse. Without the remaining three players on the enemy team noticing, he defused the bomb to win the round. If pan1k had been watching the bomb with his AWP from pit, he probably wouldn’t have caught him. However, he was distracted drinking a redbull, thinking they had the round in the bag.

RizRaz Match Point Clutch (Six Masters 2018: Clubhouse vs Nora-Rengo)

Another insane clutch play from Fnatic’s Rainbow Six Siege team, this time from RizRaz during the Six Masters at PAX AUS. On match point of map two on Clubhouse, it quickly came down to a 1v2. RizRaz takes down JJ and then waits it out for ReyCyil whom it looked like should have won with a spray through an opening in the wall. However, with some quick reactions RizRaz managed to take him out too to close out the match for Fnatic.

Sam Baxter Dragon Ball FighterZ Grand Final win at BAM11

These next two nominations are not necesarily specific plays but are memorable wins. This clip shows the final round of the Dragon Ball FighterZ Grand Final where Baxter came away victorious against Dailou 3-0. Baxter’s celebration following the win showed how much he wanted it but he doesn’t forget to show good sportsmanship and congratulate Dailou.

Tainted Minds beats Optic Gaming 3-2 in the Pro League

In an tale of the underdog, during the Call of Duty World League, Australians Tainted Minds managed to beat American team OpTiC after a close match. The best of five rounds ended with Tainted Minds claiming their first match win in the Pro League 3-2. Australian eSports have had a big year this year and the standards are always improving.

To vote for either of these epic plays, go to the Australian Games Awards and vote under the Play of the Year category. Voting will close on the 7th of December before the winners are announced at the live presentation event on the 19th of December at Luna Park in Sydney.

Gaming, music and chocolate enthusiast from Adelaide. Currently studying Psychology and Marketing at Flinders University. Addicted to games since I was a kid and grew up on the likes of The Elder Scrolls and Quake. Big fan of the eSports scene with an avid interest in Counter-Strike and Rainbow 6 Siege. On most days you'll find me studying or playing Destiny 2.

MORE STORIES

Stay connected

The latest gaming news, opinion pieces and exclusive coverage of Australia's eSports and video game culture. We offer a unique Australian perspective, catering to both hardcore gamers and casual gamers. We're dedicated to video game journalism and you'll find stories here that aren't found, or given the depth of coverage, as anywhere else. Get your dose of local Australian game journalism at Gamers Classified!